Lawyer: Va. cops want to photograph teen's erect penis

Jul. 9, 2014
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Manassas police have already taken photos of the genitals of a 17-year-old boy facing child-pornography charges for sending an explicit video to his 15-year-old girlfriend, his lawyer says. / Manassas City Police Department

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

Virginia police have obtained a search warrant to photograph the erect penis of a 17-year-old facing felony child-pornography charges for sexting an explicit video to his 15-year-old girlfriend, the boy's lawyer says.

If he doesn't cooperate, the Manassas City Police Department has threatened to take him to a hospital and medically induce an erection with an injection, attorney Jessica Harbeson Foster toldThe Washington Post.

Police already photographed the teen's genitals against his will when he was arrested in late January, she said.

The boy is due back in juvenile court in Prince William County next Tuesday.

Wednesday night, Manassas City authorities, who previously have had no comment, defended the filing of child-pornography charges and addressed the search warrant.

"It is not the policy of the Manassas City Police or the Commonwealth Attorney's Office to authorize invasive search procedures of suspects in cases of this nature and no such procedures have been conducted in this case," the statement said.

The teen was charged with manufacturing and distributing child pornography after his girlfriend's mother called police. He allegedly sent the girl "pornographic videos ... after being repeatedly being told to stop," the statement added.

Foster said the boy sent the video after she sent him photos of herself; the content has not been described. The girl has not been charged.

Officers seized the boy's iPhone and iPad when they arrested him. He told his aunt he tried to refuse to have police take photos of his genitals but was told that if he didn't cooperate "they would do it by force," his aunt told WRC-TV, which first reported the story.

Late last week, a Northern Virginia magistrate approved a new search warrant seeking more photographs of the boy's genitals to compare with other evidence.

"The prosecutor's job is to seek justice," Foster told the Post. "How does this advance the interest of the Commonwealth? This is a 17-year-old who goes to school every day, plays football, has never been in trouble with the law before. Now he's saddled with two felonies and the implication that he's a sexual predator."

The boy's court-appointed guardian said Manassas City Police want to prosecute alleged child pornography by making their own child porn.